Extending a work permit

If you have a work permit and want to keep working after your permit has expired, you need to apply for an extension of your work permit. Here you will find information on what the requirements for extension are, and how to apply. You will also find information on how to apply for a permanent residence permit in connection with an extension application.

Continue to work while waiting for a decision

If you have held a work permit for six months or more you can continue to work while waiting for a decision. If you change employer or occupation, and submit a new application for a work permit before your previous permit expires, you can start working before you have received your decision.

However, if you have had a work permit for less than six months, you cannot work while waiting for a decision.

Sometimes other rules applies

Special rules apply for athletes or coaches, au pairs, berry pickers, seasonal workers, performers, trainees, researchers, holders of an EU blue card, holders of ICT permits, self-employed persons or long-term residents.

Extending your work permit

In order to extend your work permit you must have worked at the employment for which you received a work permit, your salary and other terms of employment must have been at least equivalent to what is stated in the collective agreement or is considered the practice in your profession or industry. You must also have worked to the extent that the employment have enabled you to achieve a good income. This means that you must have had a monthly salary that amounts to at least 80 percent of the median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) and which was valid at the time of application.

Read about current maintenance requirement here

These conditions must have been met during the entire time that you have held a work permit in Sweden.

You must also have been covered by health insurance, life insurance, occupational injury insurance and occupational pension insurance for the entire period for which you have held a work permit in Sweden.

When you apply for an extension of your work permit, you will need to demonstrate that the conditions of the work permit have been met during the entire time you have held a work permit in Sweden. You must also show that you have an employment that satisfies the conditions for a work permit. You do this by enclosing your employment contract in your application.

You can apply to extend you permit online. Apply at the earliest four months before your current permit expires. You should submit your application while your current permit is still valid. If you apply after your current permit has expired, you are not allowed to work while your application is being processed.

Things to keep in mind when extending your work permit

PAYE tax return from the Swedish Tax Agency

To show that you have fulfilled the conditions for a work permit, you must submit a summary of your PAYE tax return from the Swedish Tax Agency for all years that you have worked in Sweden, which shows both your total income and who has paid your salary or other sources of income.

If you do not have e-ID, you must contact or visit the Swedish Tax Agency and ask for a summary of PAYE tax returns that shows both income from all employers and income from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.

Find contact details and addresses for the Swedish Tax Agency on their website External link, opens in new window.

Change of employer or occupation

During the first 24 months, the work permit is only applicable to the specific employer and occupation indicated in your decision. If the company you are working at changes its registration number, you change employers, are given new duties, or the conditions of your employment change, your work permit will no longer be valid. If you want to continue working, in such a case, you should submit a new application for a work permit before you start your new employment. Your previous decision indicates the kind of work for which your work permit is valid. You will keep your existing residence permit card if you change employer during the permit period. Your decision will state the employer with whom the permit is valid.

Once you have held a work permit for 24 months and have had your work permit extended, you can change employers without filing a new application as long as you continue to work in the same occupation or profession. If your new job involves a change of profession, you must submit a new application. Your previous decision indicates any limitations with regard to your work permit.

Once you have submitted your application, you are permitted to begin working before receiving a decision, provided that you submitted your application before the previous permit expired. Your new employer is required to have advertised the position in Sweden and within EU/EEA and Switzerland before you have been hired.

When you apply for an extension of your work permit, you will need to demonstrate that the conditions of the work permit have been met during the entire time you have held a work permit in Sweden. You must also show that you have an employment that meets the conditions of your work permit. You do this by enclosing your employment contract in your application.

If you are also applying for a permanent residence permit

You can apply for a permanent residence permit in connection with applying for an extended work permit.

To be granted a permanent residence permit you must

have had, and fulfilled the requirements for, a work permit as an employee and have worked in Sweden for four years over the past seven years
be able to support yourself financially
live an orderly life.

Read more about the requirements to support yourself and live an orderly life:

In order to obtain a permanent residence permit, you must be able to support yourself through income from employment or your own company, or a combination of employment and your own company. You may add together income from one or more part-time jobs, provided that all the employments meet the requirements below.

The livelihood must be sustainable and serious

You must be able to show that you can support yourself for a longer period of time ahead. If you do not have permanent employment, an individual assessment is always made as to whether your income is sustainable. A longer fixed-term employment is usually approved. In some cases, an employment with a probationary period can also be approved.

People who support themselves financially through self-employment must demonstrate that their company has realistic business plans and stable finances, so that you can be expected to be able to support yourself through your profits for a longer period of time.

It is only the income you actually have when we consider your application that counts. You cannot get a permanent residence permit based on your chances of getting another job or higher income sometime in the future.

What income counts?

You may only count taxed income from legal employment. This means that you must have permission to work or be exempt from the work permit requirement. You may not count undeclared income, nor income from a profession that you are not licensed to practise.

You may count parental benefits or sickness benefits, provided that you have ongoing employment and your parental leave or sick leave is not assessed to be longer than 12 months.

To count income from your business, you must show that you own at least half of the company and that you have decisive responsibility for its operations. It is also required that you run the company professionally, independently and for profit.

If you wait too long to apply for an extended residence permit (after your current permit has expired), you will not have the right to work while you wait for a decision and therefore will not meet the maintenance requirement.

Amount of income

Your income after tax must be so large that, after your accommodation costs have been paid each month, you have a certain amount left that should be enough for food, clothing, hygiene, telephone, electricity and insurance for yourself, among other things. For 2024, that amount is SEK 6,090 per month for a single adult. If you have a child with whom you do not live and you pay maintenance to the child’s other parent, your income must also be sufficient to cover the maintenance allowance.

The housing costs that your income must be sufficient to cover each month depend on the type of home in which you live:

If you live in a rented flat, you must include both the rent and the cost of heating in this calculation, if the latter is not included in the rent.
If you live in a tenant-owner flat, you must include any fees paid to the tenant-owner association and the interest on any home loans in your calculation. You must also include necessary operating costs (such as water and heating), if these are not included in the monthly fee.
If you live in a freestanding house, you must include the interest rate for any home loans and necessary operating costs (such as water and heating) in your calculation.

Amortisation of home loans is not included in the cost of accommodation.

You only need to be able to support yourself, not your family members. If you live alone or with underage children, you must include your entire actual accommodation cost in your calculation. However, if you live with one or more other adults, you should divide the actual accommodation cost by the number of adults in the household and only include your share in the calculation, no matter how much each person actually pays for the accommodation.

What income does not count?

You may not count income from

a family member
wealth or returns from capital
unemployment insurance or activity compensation
various forms of grants or scholarships
subsidised employment (for example, when the Swedish Social Insurance Agency or the Swedish Public Employment Service pays all or part of the wages).

Pensions do not count as income either, but people who receive a pension may be exempt from the requirement that they must be able support themselves financially.

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement can be made if

you are under the age of 18 when the Swedish Migration Agency makes a decision
you are entitled to a pension
you are unable to support yourself financially on other special grounds.

If you can submit a decision from the Swedish Pensions Agency that shows that you are entitled to an income-based retirement pension, a guarantee pension or financial support for the elderly, then you are exempt from the requirement to be able to support yourself financially. It is the right to a pension that is crucial, not whether you actually take out a pension or the size of your pension. Both guarantee pensions and financial support for the elderly can be paid out no sooner than the month you turn 66. Income-based old-age pensions can be paid out no sooner than the month you turn 63. If you have reached the age of 63 but not 66, you must show that you have retired and started to take out your income-based old-age pension. It is your age on the date of the decision that matters.

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement may also be made if other special grounds exist which are not temporary. For example, you may be unable to meet the maintenance requirement on the grounds of permanently impaired working capacity due to illness or disability. This can also apply if you are unemployed and so close to retirement age that it is difficult to get a new job. Exemptions can also be granted if it is not reasonable to request that you be able to support yourself financially. For example, such exemptions are granted for monks and nuns.

If you believe that you have special grounds for exemption from the maintenance requirement, please attach documents showing that you have, for example, a permanently impaired ability to work. Such proof may take the form of an investigation by the Swedish Public Employment Service, a decision on entitlement to sickness benefits, sickness benefits or activity compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, or a medical certificate.

In order to be granted a permanent residence permit in Sweden, it is important that you cannot be assumed to commit a crime in the future. Therefore, it is required that those who apply for a permanent residence permit will live a well-behaved life. To be able to assess this, the Swedish Migration Agency needs to look at how you have lived so far, for example if you have been convicted or suspected of any crime in Sweden or abroad.
There are no detailed rules on the types of crimes or the length of the penalty that may prevent a person from obtaining a permanent residence permit. It is not only about serious crimes, even less serious crime can be an obstacle if you have misbehaved in other ways at the same time.

If there is reason to suspect that you will not live in a well-behaved manner in the future, the Swedish Migration Agency will weigh these suspicions against your reasons for being granted a permanent residence permit. We take into account how you have misbehaved and how long ago the events took place.

Exemptions to the requirement that applicants live a law-abiding life are made only for children under the age of 15.

If you do not meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit, you may still be granted an extension of your work permit, if you meet those requirements. Please note that you must then meet the requirements of a good income for work permit, which is higher that the requirement of being able to support yourself for a permanent residence permit.

How to apply for an extension to your work permit

The employer initiates the application

Your employer in Sweden initiates the work permit application by providing information about the employment. Your employer needs information about your name, date of birth, citizenship, education and your email address.

It is important that you have access the email address you give your employer until you have received a decision regarding your application. The Swedish Migration Agency will use this email address to communicate with you throughout the application period.

Information for the employer

You receive an email

When your employer has provided information about the employment you will receive an email with information about how to apply for a work permit.

In the application you provide information about yourself. If you have a family which also needs residence permits you apply for their permits at the same time. You should also check that the information about your employment terms in the information about the employment corresponds with what you and your employer have agreed on.

Attach documents

The following documents are to be scanned or photographed and sent with your application:

copies of the pages in your passport which show your personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the passport's period of validity, the bar code on the identification identity page and whether you have permission to live in countries other than your country of origin
a summary of your PAYE tax return from the Swedish Tax Agency for each of the years you have worked in Sweden, showing both your total income and who paid your salary and what other income sources you have
payslips for the current year
your employment contract
letters from each employer you have worked for in Sweden certifying that you worked there
a certified statement showing any absences from work, such as a notice of payment from Swedish National Insurance
information on which insurance company your employer has taken out insurance policies with, your insurance number, and the period of validity of the insurance policies
a power of attorney if you are representing the applicant.

If you have changed employer or occupation during the term of the permit, you must submit documents that apply to each of the jobs you have had. Please prepare all documents before you begin your part of the application.

If your passport is about to expire, you should renew it as you cannot obtain a permit for longer than the validity of your passport.

Employment as a personal assistant

If you are applying for a work permit as a personal assistant you must attach a copy of the decision issued by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) regarding assistance benefits. This decision shows that you have somebody that you will be working with and that this person is entitled to an assistance benefit.

What is a power of attorney?

A power of attorney can be a signed letter in which the person applying for a permit allows another person to represent them. A power of attorney can, for example, give someone the right to apply, be informed of the reasons for a decision, or lodge an appeal for someone else. The power of attorney must be signed by the person who gives their power of attorney to another person, and must be presented in the original if required by the Swedish Migration Agency.

In order to give another person power of attorney, you will need to send a letter to the Swedish Migration Agency stating

that it is a power of attorney
the name, date of birth and address of the person giving someone else the power of attorney
what the person who has the power of attorney has to do
the name, personal identity number and address of the person who is given the power of attorney
the signature of the person giving someone else the power of attorney
the date and place where the power of attorney is signed.

Power of Attorney, form 107011 Pdf, 1.1 MB, opens in new window.

If your family is also applying for an extension you must attach

copies of the pages in your family members' passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity, bar code on the identification page and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.

If your family is applying for residence permits for the first time

If your family did not apply for permits when you applied for a work permit the last time and are now moving to Sweden you must also attach

copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity, bar code on the identification page and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin
copies of marriage certificates or the equivalent (applies to married couples or registered partners)
documents showing that you have lived together in your country of origin (applies to cohabiting partners)
birth certificates for children
consent from the other parent/legal guardian, if they are not also coming to Sweden, stating that the child is allowed to move to Sweden, or documents that show you are the sole parent/legal guardian
documents showing that children above the age of 21 are financially dependent on their parents
adoption documents if the child was adopted
power of attorney if you are representing all members of the family who are over 18 years and who are co-applicants
documents that show that you have enough income to support yourself and your family. The documents required are listed in the e-service or in the application form.

The above-mentioned documents should be translated into Swedish or English by an authorized translator. You should always submit both a copy of the original document a copy of the translation.

Maintenance requirement

In order for your family to receive a residence permit, you must be able to support yourself and your family.

If you are granted a permanent residence permit there will be other requirements for you family. In most cases you must fulfil a maintenance requirement. This means that in addition to a sufficiently large income you also need to have a home that is of an adequate size and standard for all of you to live in.

If you are applying for a permanent residence permit and your family is applying for residence permits at the same time, you must also attach

documents showing that your income is sufficient to support yourself and your family financially and that you have a home of sufficient size and standard for all of you to live in.

If your family apply for a permanent residence permit, the application will not be examined until the requirements for an extended residence permit have been met.

If your family is applying for a permanent residence permit, you must also attach documents showing that your adult family members can support themselves financially:

If the family member is working: documents showing that he or she is an employee or a self-employed person, and the size of his or her income.
If the family member is entitled to a pension: a decision from the Swedish Pensions Agency stating that he or she is entitled to income-based retirement pension, guarantee pension or financial support for the elderly.
If the family member is unable to support himself/herself financially but has special grounds, e.g. permanent impairment of working capacity: documents showing this, e.g. an investigation by the Swedish Public Employment Service, a decision on entitlement to sickness benefit or activity compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, or a medical certificate.

A statement of consent is a signed letter from the parent who has custody but will not be accompanying the child to Sweden, in which he or she agrees that your child should be granted a residence permit to settle in Sweden. The statement of consent should contain

the name, date of birth and address of the parent who consents
the name and date of birth of the child to which the statement of consent relates
a statement that the parent agrees that the child should be granted a residence permit to settle in Sweden
the signature of parent consenting, along with his or her name in printed letters.

Pay and submit your application

In most cases you must pay a fee. You can pay using Visa or Mastercard. The card must be enabled for Internet payment. Contact your bank for more information.

When the fee is paid you submit your application. You and your employer will receive an email confirming that your application has been submitted. The Migration Agency will contact you if it needs more information.

Application fees for work permits

The Migration Agency processes the application

If you have submitted an application for extension you are entitled to remain in Sweden until the Migration Agency has made a decision. You are also entitled to keep working for your employer if the application is submitted before your current permit expires.

Remember that you are only entitled to keep working during the waiting period if your application is received by the Migration Agency before your previous permit expires.

For the Migration Agency to make a decision about your application, all the details need to be filled in and all necessary documents attached. This means that the processing time will be shorter if all the necessary information is included from the start than if information is added afterwards.

Note that the Migration Agency may in some cases need to further examine your application even if you have included all the required information and documents.

Processing times for work permits

Travelling abroad during the processing time

If you are travelling abroad as your permit expires, you may have trouble re-entering Sweden before your new permit is approved. You may need to await your new permit outside of Sweden. If you urgently need to return to Sweden before this, it is possible to apply for an entry visa. This visa allows you to travel back to Sweden and wait for the decision about your extension. Apply for a visa at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you are now. You can travel back to Sweden without an entry visa if you are visa exemption.

If you need to make a business trip outside Sweden while your application is being processed, you can to apply for a visa, a so-called D-visa.

Countries whose citizens need a visa to enter Sweden External link, opens in new window.

Show your passport

The Swedish Migration Agency may need to check your passport before a decision can be made. You will then need to visit one of the Swedish Migration Agency's service centres to present your passport.

In some cases, you can have your passport checked digitally, instead of showing it in person.

In some cases, you will not be required to present your passport, for example, if we have already checked your passport during a previous visit.

If you need to show your passport, we will contact you with information on how and when to do so.

Information needed for residence permit card

If you receive a permit you will also receive a residence permit card. The card proves that you have permission to reside in Sweden and contains information such as your fingerprints and a photograph. You therefore need to book an appointment at the Migration Agency to be photographed and fingerprinted as soon as possible. You need to do this even if you have previously had a residence permit card, as your photograph and fingerprints are not saved.

The decision is sent to you

You will receive an email confirming that a decision has been made. The actual decision is then sent to your address in Sweden. Your employer will also receive a notification about the decision by mail.

You may be granted a work permit for the duration of the employment but never for longer than the validity of your passport. A work permit can be obtained for a maximum of two years at a time. If it is difficult for the Migration Agency to determine how long the employment will last, you may obtain a work permit for a shorter period of time. When the residence permit card is ready it is sent to you within about a week.

If you are granted a permanent residence permit, it is valid for as long as you are resident in Sweden.

A family member who does not meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit may still be granted a continued residence permit as a close relative, and can apply for a permanent residence permit the next time they are able to apply for an extended permit.

Appealing work permit decisions

If the Swedish Migration Agency rejects your application for an extended work permit, you can appeal against the decision within three weeks of the date on which you were notified of the decision. Your decision will contain information about how to do this.

If the Swedish Migration Agency rejects your application for a permanent residence permit on the grounds that you do not meet the maintenance requirement or orderliness requirement, you can appeal within three weeks of the date on which you were notified of the decision.

If you end your employment or if you are offered work by another employer

If you do not apply online

If you cannot apply online you fill in the form Application for Swedish work permit, 149011. If your family in Sweden also needs residence permits each family member must submit their own application. The application form specifies which documents to enclose.

Application for Swedish work permit, form 149011 Pdf, 851.7 kB, opens in new window.

Application for a permit for family members of workers, researchers, athletes or coaches and self-employed persons, form 133011 Pdf, 847.4 kB, opens in new window.

Send your application to:

The Swedish Migration Agency
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

In most cases you must pay a fee.

Application fees for work permits

Things to keep in mind when applying to extend your work permit

If you are planning to apply to extend your work permit, you must do so before your current permit expires. If you apply after your current permit has expired, you are not allowed to work while your application is being processed. Right when you are granted the initial work permit, there are already things you can do to prepare for your application to extend it.

Make sure that your employer has taken out insurance for you. In most cases, your employer should provide you insurance cover in the form of occupational injury insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and occupational pension insurance. The Swedish Migration Agency sometimes requires proof of this. You can obtain the certificates of insurance from your employer. Ask for certificates of insurance from your old employer if you change employer.
When you apply for an extension, you must submit PAYE tax return from the Swedish Tax Agency for the time period you have worked in Sweden. PAYE tax return contain information about your salary and other income, as well as what tax you paid during that year. You can obtain the PAYE tax return from the Swedish Tax Agency. Before submitting your application for extension, you should therefore visit the Swedish Tax Agency website and log in with your e-ID to print the summary for each year you have worked in Sweden.
Save your payslips. There is a chance that you will not have to submit all of your payslips to the Swedish Migration Agency when you apply for an extension, but it is a good idea to save them in case the Swedish Migration Agency needs to check them when processing your application. You must always submit the payslips of the current year when applying for an extension.
Save statements indicating any absence from work, such as a notice of payment from Försäkringskassan.
If there are any changes to your employment (such as working in a smaller or larger scope), it is a good idea to save documents that show this, such as your employment contract.
Save the statement of employment that you receive from your employer if you change jobs. In some cases, you may have to apply for a new work permit. Read more under Change of employer or occupation
Check the information found in your decision and on your residence permit card. These will state which profession you are allowed to work in, and for which employer. These will also state how long the work permit is valid. You must apply to extend your work permit before your previous permit expires.

Frequently asked questions about work permits

Last updated: 2024-05-29

Extending a work permit

Continue to work while waiting for a deci­sion

Some­times other rules applies

Exten­ding your work permit